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Award-Winning 9th Grade Physics Tutors

Certified Tutor
5+ years
Pallavi
Ninth-grade physics introduces foundational ideas — speed vs. velocity, balanced and unbalanced forces, kinetic and potential energy — that set the stage for every science course that follows. Pallavi walks students through the reasoning behind each equation rather than just handing them formulas to...
University of Pennsylvania
Master's in Biology
University of Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Arts in Biology (Neurobiology concentration)

Certified Tutor
5+ years
Nadine
The jump into 9th grade physics can feel overwhelming when speed, velocity, and acceleration all sound like the same thing. Nadine tackles that confusion head-on by teaching students to translate word problems into diagrams and equations step by step — a skill she refined through her own rigorous ph...
Eckerd College
Bachelor of Science, Physics
Columbia University
Dual degree in Physics and Mechanical Engineering

Certified Tutor
2+ years
For a ninth grader, physics can feel like a completely different language — suddenly there are vectors, unit conversions, and equations that describe things you can actually see happen. Mark teaches students to read a problem like a story: what's moving, what forces act on it, and what question is r...
Murray State University
BS

Certified Tutor
2+ years
Harriet
I am a graduate of St. Olaf College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Mathematics. Following my passion of teaching and working with students, I also studied to become licensed to teach math and physics. I have spent time working with students in St. Paul who are struggling to meet grade lev...
St. Olaf College
Undergraduate Degree
Certified Tutor
2+ years
Prabhsimran
Kinematics is where most 9th graders encounter physics for the first time, and the jump from arithmetic to vector quantities and motion graphs can feel sudden. Prabhsimran breaks down displacement, velocity, and acceleration using concrete scenarios — a car braking, a ball in freefall — so the equat...
Mcgill University
Master's/Graduate

Certified Tutor
9+ years
Jai
I'm a recent Stanford graduate (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), and have been working at a major Management Consulting firm for a few years now. I personally scored a 2360 (out of 2400) on the SAT and 35 on the ACT and was successful in gaining admission to several top universities. I'...
Stanford University
Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Certified Tutor
I am a licensed physician from Florida who is currently changing careers. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 and have extensive tutoring and editing experience. While a student, I became a certified writing tutor through the Critical Writing Department. Since I completed my writ...
Nova Southeastern University
PHD, Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Bachelors, History
University of Pennsylvania
undergraduate

Certified Tutor
Kate
I'm available to tutor biology, chemistry, physics, math from Algebra up through AP Calculus, SAT test prep, and French. I've been tutoring students in science and math for 7 years. I also spent 8 months working and studying in France, and have tutored high school and adult students in French. When ...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Masters, Environmental Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bachelors

Certified Tutor
Erika
I am available to tutor middle and high school math, history and test prep. I have tutored math and history in the past and I previously taught a test prep course at a school in Hanoi, Vietnam. I have a lot of experience teaching all the need-to-know tricks to doing great on the SATS/ACTS! When I am...
Harvard University
Master of Public Policy, Public Policy

Certified Tutor
6+ years
Rhea
I am a current student at the University of Chicago. I am working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, and I am on the pre-medical track. I am extremely passionate about tutoring, and I have several years of experience tutoring students in my high school's learning center in various...
University of Chicago
Bachelor of Science, Biology, General
Top 20 Science Subjects
Meet Our Expert Tutors
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Jeffrey
Pre-Calculus Tutor • +29 Subjects
I am enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering PhD program at Rice University which will begin Fall 2020, and I am hoping to return to academia as a professor after earning my PhD. In the meantime, I am looking to share my passion for gaining knowledge, specifically in STEM, by educating the up and coming members of such a great field. I have experience tutoring both Calculus and Physics at Notre Dame, as well as experience as a Student Assistant for Differential Equations and Mechanics. I believe the key to learning is much deeper than learning to solve problems and that seeking knowledge is one of the best means for personal improvement.
Samuel
AP Calculus AB Tutor • +29 Subjects
I am a freshman at Caltech majoring in Applied and Computational Mathematics. My favorite subject to tutor is math because I find it very rewarding to simplify complex topics to aid in understanding. I have lots of tutoring experience. In high school, I ran and taught an SAT prep class and was vice president of my school's NHS chapter where I ran our tutoring program, and I, myself, tutored. I also was a teaching assistant in the summer of 2020 for a class in discrete mathematics through a program called PACT (Program in Algorithmic and Combinatorial Thinking). I love learning and hope to make the process enjoyable for you!
Tony
Calculus Tutor • +28 Subjects
I am a recent graduate of Yale University and incoming first year medical student at Columbia University. Originally from the DC area, I have always had a passion for science and medicine and pursued a degree in Biology while at Yale. During the 2008-2009 academic year, I tutored science, math, English, history, and Mandarin Chinese part-time with a DC-based tutoring company. At Yale, I worked as a freshman counselor to provide academic and career advice to incoming freshmen. I have taken both SAT and MCAT test prep classes and am familiar with both tests as well as the preparation necessary to score well. My personal career goals include attending medical school to pursue either immunology/infectious diseases or psych/neurology, teaching biology at the university level, and working in public/global health with either the CDC or the WHO.
MaryAnn
Calculus Tutor • +21 Subjects
I am a published author who has enjoyed “coaching” our daughter, as she navigated through high school, college and graduate school. I mentor college juniors who are seeking careers in financial services, and I serve as a peer resource to professionals who are transitioning from private industry to the nonprofit sector. Hobbies: reading, cooking, writing, books, music, art, travel
Sharon
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +29 Subjects
I am a graduate of the University of Chicago, and I will be starting a graduate program at Columbia in August. I am about to complete a year of service with City Year, an education non-profit that places young adults into under-served schools. As a City Year member, I worked full-time in the classroom with middle-school students who were in approximately the 10th percentile for math (meaning they score lower than 90% of students). One-fourth of those students were able to grow around 15 percentile points by the end of the year! Hobbies: reading, cooking, gardening, music, art, nature, books, writing
Earnest
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +26 Subjects
I am comfortable with either setting. I'm confident that I can help you (or your student) achieve to the best of their ability, so please don't hesitate to get in touch!
Charles
AP Calculus AB Tutor • +25 Subjects
I am a junior Mechanical Engineering major at Yale, and I hope to become a Naval Aviator after college. I am also a varsity sailor, and enjoy playing music with friends when I can get some free time. I have been tutoring my fellow students throughout my entire academic career, and I would best describe my tutoring style as one that adapts to each students' needs. For example, I have always tried to frame questions in a different way so that the student can better understand the question. Some students need visual representations of numbers and systems to understand them, and others benefit more by understanding the concepts behind each formula. I prefer to tutor in math and physics, and especially with real world application problems. I hope to help students improve their standardized test scores and their understanding of the math and sciences so that they can achieve their academic goals! Hobbies: art, books, running, reading, music, writing
Samantha
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +38 Subjects
I'm a first-year medical student and recent graduate from Duke University, where I studied Global Health Determinants, Behaviors, and Interventions. From running a piano program at a nonprofit children's theatre to private tutoring in math, science, and standardized test prep, I enjoy helping my students become confident and self-sufficient learners! Hobbies: photography, travel, reading, music, writing, running, art, books, traveling
Quinn
Calculus Tutor • +17 Subjects
I am willing to address any issue with an open mind and I try to develop strategies that play to a student's strengths. I would like to think I am very approachable and personable, and I have had very positive experiences with many students in the past using this philosophy. Outside of academics, I love playing basketball and watching sports, as well as chilling with friends, listening to music, and keeping up with politics and current affairs.
Matthew
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +39 Subjects
I'm a highly creative person who works best with visual thinkers. Very recently graduated from Stanford University, I majored in Human Biology with a concentration in Bioinformatics and Stem Cell Science. Technical though my background may be, I am currently gigging as a singer/songwriter/composer in NYC and tackle even the most hard-science of problems with a top-down, big-picture, holistic approach. If you have a propensity to look at problems in a cross- or inter-disciplinary manner (or want to learn how to do so), I'm the tutor for you!
Top 20 Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
The biggest challenge areas are typically forces and motion (especially Newton's laws and free-body diagrams), energy transformations, and circuit analysis. Many students also struggle with unit conversions—converting between meters and kilometers, or understanding why velocity needs both magnitude and direction. Additionally, visualizing abstract concepts like electric fields or gravitational force is difficult without hands-on exploration. A tutor can break these down with real-world examples: explaining how a car's acceleration relates to Newton's second law, or why a light bulb dims when you add more bulbs to a series circuit.
Free-body diagrams are one of the most important tools in 9th Grade Physics, but they're confusing because they require you to isolate one object and identify all forces acting on it—something that feels unnatural at first. A tutor can teach you a systematic approach: identify the object, list every force (gravity, normal force, friction, applied force), draw them as arrows with correct relative sizes, and then use them to solve for acceleration or equilibrium. Working through multiple examples—like analyzing forces on a block sliding down an incline or a hanging rope—helps you see the pattern and build confidence with this skill.
Students often memorize that "energy is conserved" without understanding what that actually means in a specific scenario. The challenge is identifying all the forms of energy present (kinetic, potential, thermal), recognizing when energy transforms from one type to another, and knowing when external forces do work on the system. For example, a ball rolling down a ramp converts gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy, but friction converts some to heat—so you need to account for all three. A tutor helps you develop the habit of drawing energy diagrams and writing out the equation before solving, which makes the abstract concept concrete and predictable.
Lab work teaches the scientific method—forming hypotheses, controlling variables, collecting data, and drawing conclusions—skills that go beyond just understanding concepts. Many students struggle with identifying which variables to control, how to reduce measurement error, or what their data actually means. A tutor can help you design better experiments, understand why certain procedures matter (like repeating measurements for accuracy), and analyze your results critically instead of just writing what you think should happen. This builds both scientific reasoning and confidence in the lab, which directly improves your lab reports and understanding of how physics works in the real world.
This is one of the biggest sources of confusion—students collect equations but don't know when to apply them. The key is understanding what each equation describes: kinematic equations (like v = u + at) work only for constant acceleration; F = ma applies when you know or can find the net force; and energy equations work when you're tracking energy transformations. A tutor teaches you to start by identifying what you know, what you're solving for, and what physics principle applies—then the right equation becomes obvious. Practice with varied problem types (projectile motion, circular motion, collisions) helps you recognize patterns and choose confidently instead of guessing.
Many students think current "gets used up" as it flows through a circuit, or that voltage is "used" by components—but current is constant in a series circuit, and voltage divides among components. Another misconception is treating circuits like water pipes when they're actually more complex electromagnetically. Students also struggle with the difference between series and parallel circuits and how adding resistors affects total resistance and current. A tutor can use circuit diagrams, simulations, and real circuits to show how voltage, current, and resistance actually relate (Ohm's Law: V = IR), and why parallel circuits allow more current flow than series circuits with the same components.
Unit conversion errors are common because students try to memorize conversion factors instead of understanding dimensional analysis—the systematic method of canceling units. For example, converting 72 km/h to m/s requires multiplying by (1000 m / 1 km) × (1 h / 3600 s), which is much more reliable than memorizing a conversion factor. A tutor teaches you to write out the units with every number, set up fractions so unwanted units cancel, and check your answer by estimating whether it makes sense (72 km/h should be around 20 m/s). With this approach, you can convert any unit combination confidently, not just the ones you've practiced.
True understanding means being able to explain why something happens and predict what will happen in a new situation—not just plugging numbers into equations. A tutor focuses on the "why" by connecting formulas to real phenomena: F = ma isn't just an equation, it explains why heavier objects need more force to accelerate, or why airbags reduce injury by increasing the time of impact. Building understanding requires asking questions, working through problems multiple ways, and applying concepts to unfamiliar scenarios. This approach takes more time upfront, but it makes problem-solving intuitive and helps concepts stick, especially when you encounter new topics that build on these fundamentals.
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